Coming January 1 on Guns Unpacked: Dr. Samantha Simon on Police Academies and the Politics of Force
On January 1, join Guns Unpacked in conversation with Dr. Samantha Simon, recent author of Before the Badge: How Academy Training Shapes Police Violence, as we discuss police training in the United States and how practices within police academies enable the conditions for police violence.
Dr. Simon engaged in ethnographic fieldwork at a variety of police academies to understand how law enforcement are trained in the use of force. We begin our conversation with the hiring and recruitment of police officers that she observed first-hand and learned about through in-depth interviews. In fact, she found that the application process was extremely thorough, including checking credit scores, a review of a decade of employment history, and much more.
"So I was really puzzled. If this is so extensive, why are we seeing this outcome at the end--this persistent pattern of violence?"
Part of the answer isn’t just who gets to enroll in police academies but also what they learn once they get there. For example, we discuss the “us vs them” mentality that Dr. Simon found while observing police academies. Cadets are repeatedly instructed that more difficult than ever to be a police officer throughout the training process, even as violence against police has not increased over the long term.
“There is not, to my knowledge, any empirical support for this long term trajectory towards increased violence against police officers. Policing is more safe now than it has historically been.”
"There is not, to my knowledge, any empirical support for this long-term trajectory towards increased violence against police officers. Policing is more safe now than it has historically been."
Especially of interest to Guns Unpacked listeners, we also turn to the intersection of civilian guns with police officers. Dr. Simon observed that despite officers being fearful for their lives with the threat of being met by gunfire, most also supported increased gun rights. In fact, she experienced that in training often, with those who carried licensed guns understood as able to provide–in certain circumstances–assistance to police. Listen in to learn more!